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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has dodged the bilateral peace talks in Turkey on the war in Ukraine on Thursday that he himself proposed, instead opting to send low-level delegates to the country.
The Kremlin said a delegation headed by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky would travel to Istanbul for a summit with Ukraine, as pressure mounts to resolve the ongoing war, now in its fourth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said he would attend the talks only if Putin were to go.
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President Donald Trump, who is on a tour of the Middle East, also won't be attending the talks, Reuters reported on Thursday.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.
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Why It Matters
The absence of Putin and Trump from the talks has dampened hopes for a significant breakthrough in resolving the conflict. The U.S. president pledged on his campaign trail to bring a swift end to the war, but has so far failed to deliver on that promise.
What To Know
On Sunday, Putin proposed direct talks "without pre-conditions" to end the conflict. However, his name was noticeably absent from the list of attendees announced by the Kremlin.
Besides Medinsky, the Russian delegation will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, chief of the main directorate of the general staff of the Russian army Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, the Kremlin announced.
Ukraine said its delegation would include head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office Pavlo Palisa.
Zelensky had publicly challenged Putin to attend the talks in Istanbul, suggesting that failure to do so would signal a lack of seriousness about pursuing peace.
Mark Galeotti, senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, said Putin was never likely to attend, as he "wasn't going to allow it to look as if he had been manipulated and dared by Zelensky."
Putin is more likely to show up "to seal the deal at the end of the process, after experts have done all the hard preparatory work away from the cameras," he said in analysis posted on X (formerly Twitter).
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address on Wednesday: "I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing."
Mark Galeotti, senior associate fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, said on X: "Putin was never likely to attend, not least as he wasn't going to allow it to look as if he had been manipulated and dared by Zelensky…leaders usually turn up to seal the deal at the end of the process, after experts have done all the hard preparatory work away from the cameras."
"Do we honestly think two men who so plainly loathe each other and who have been shamelessly posturing for Trump's benefit were going to reach some kind of meeting of minds? Possible, but unlikely.
What Happens Next
The talks are scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. at Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace. The summit will be closed to the press, Kremlin newswire Tass reported.
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